Where's Nicole

Hi everyone,

You may have noticed my absence around the studio lately and perhaps thought that I’d defected to the Blue Mountains forever? Well, while I still love our mountain home, especially with a huge stock of firewood just delivered for our first mountain winter (brrrrr….!), I’ve actually jetted off to the much warmer climate of Bali for a couple of months. We’re running our first ever teacher training program in Bali – something to be really excited about. But before I give you the low-down on Bali, here’s what else I’ve been up to lately …. Completely unrelated to yoga, but fun nonetheless … mustering cattle in the New England region of NSW … read on!
Stay warm,
Nicole

Monday 21 April - A childhood dream!

A five-day horse camp is something I’ve wanted to do ever since I was a horse-mad teenager. Somehow I could never convince my parents that it was a good idea. So, some 17 years after the initial urge arose, I find myself in Tamworth – the home town of the famous Country Music Festival, some big grain silos and not much else. My final destination – a property called “Hickman’s Run”, on which I would participate in a Mountain Cattle Drive. (www.mountaincattle.com.au) Going back to my country roots? Well, I did visit my aunt and uncle’s dairy farm once or twice growing up, and rode the odd pony. Cattle mustering – now where the hell did that idea come from? Even Phil raised an eyebrow.

I was picked up at the Tamworth YHA (thank God I’d had the foresight to book myself into the slightly more luxurious Best Western down the road) for an hours drive to what seemed to be the middle of no-where. Cows, cows, more cows and plenty of horses. Jillian and Steve Sullivan, my hosts for the week, own 1,300 odd acres of mountainous countryside where they mostly run cattle, some sheep and yes, plenty of horses. Jillian is considered to be one of Australia’s top horsewomen – apparently it’s been in her blood since before she could walk. She is the real deal … no bulls**t, very Australian, born and bred on the land and most at home in the saddle. I like her instantly.

Once assigned our living quarters (army tents) we ware given our eating utensils (kind of like the army – no ration packs in sight though!), and introduced to our fellow musterers (or should I call us stockmen/women?) and our trusty horses. Mine’s name is Blackie, and he was, in fact quite black after a good brushing. 20 years old, good, solid and well-fed. We bonded instantly – he’s quite a cuddly fellow, for a horse, and he sidled in for a smooch straight away. Once assigned our horses, they are our responsibility for the 5 days to groom, feed, saddle, water and ride. Awesome – I am in horsie heaven. Our first lesson is “Natural Horsemanship”, also known as “horse-whispering” – think Robert Redford in the movie “The Horse Whisperer”. In a nutshell, Natural Horsemanship is learning to think like a horse (??), understanding their behaviour in the herd, and how to gently and without force, become your horse’s natural leader. We are taught some “games” that we have to play each day with our horses, to build a relationship of trust. After that, a saddling up lesson, a lesson on how to roll a Driza-bone, then off for a ride. No doubt I will become well-aquainted with my mole-skin jeans, RM Williams boots, Driza-bone and Akubra hat. In fact, I look like I am auditioning for McLeod’s Daughters.

Our first ride is quite easy (well, not for the horses), a LOT of up hill, down hill, across creek, up another hill, down the other side, back across the creek etc etc. Nice and smooth, then back to base camp for a hearty dinner round the camp fire, plenty of funny stories about Jillian’s dad, who has been bucked by horses and zapped by electric fences more times than I’ve had hot dinners. Early to bed, as tomorrow we’re cattle mustering – yeehah!